India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notice to Heritage Foods over claims related to the company’s product “Fresh Paneer,” alleging the wording is misleading. Multiple reports say the notice is based on both a suo motu action by FSSAI and consumer complaints. NDTV and Business Line report that FSSAI’s concern centers on how the term “fresh” is presented to consumers.
Heritage Foods, based in Hyderabad, responds that the label is descriptive rather than a quality exaggeration. According to the company’s statements reported by NDTV and Deccan Chronicle, “Fresh Paneer” indicates that the product is inherently a fresh dairy item made from pasteurised milk, meant for refrigerated consumption and with a limited shelf life. The company also argues that “fresh” distinguishes its refrigerated product from frozen, preserved, or long shelf-life paneer variants available in the market.
The reports collectively describe an ongoing regulatory dispute, with FSSAI challenging the wording and Heritage Foods defending it as an accurate descriptor of how the paneer is made and stored.
